Weighing and printing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A dial scales with printer in which the mechanical read-out mechanism indexes the printing mechanism through angular displacement of the dial indicator shaft.

United States Patent Davis et al.

1 1 Mar. 18, 1975 1,191,363 Ill-111,117] 2,070,111

WEIGHING AND PRINTING APPARATUS Inventors: Austin L. Davis, Brandon; Harley R.

Davidson, Rutland, both of Vt.

Filed: Feb. 27, 1974 Appl. No.: 446,404

Related U.S. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 309,879, Nov. 27, 1972.

U.S. Cl. 177/10, 177/13 Int. Cl 601g 23/38 Field of Search 177/2, 10, 13

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1919 Bnin 177/11) X 5/1936 Brande] 177/13 1/1937 Hadley ct a1 177/13 X Primary Examiner-George H. Miller, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Strauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies & Kurz {57] ABSTRACT A dial scales with printer in which the mechanical read-out mechanism indexes the printing mechanism through angular displacement of the dial indicator shaft.

10 Claims, 39 Drawing Figures REMOTE PRINTER ELEC. READ-OUT PATENTEU W1 8 m5 SHEET EZUF 20 FIG. 4

PATENTEU 1 81575 3.871.490 SHEET Oh [if 20 gm 1 8 mm SHEET 10 0F 20 FIG. I6

QQYENILUHAR 1 818- 5 SHEET 120F2O S S S D S S N N D D A NE E N S UT R A U D L N s o 0000000000OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0000000000 U W 0000OOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0000000000000 H H N K 0404040404040404040404040404O4O4O4040 04 T E W 022446688002244668800224466880O22446688O T l I I l l l l I 222222222233333333 (SPILL OVER) PATENTED 3.871.490

SHEET lBUF 2O FIG. 28B

9% 77 480 558 5 0 39! I M 555 i0 i ;2 406 FIG. 28C

FIG. 28D 

1. In an apparatus for weighing a load and for printing the weight of the weighed load, a scale mechanism for weighing the load, a printer having a plurality of rotatably mounted carriers, a lock member mounted for displacement between a locking position where it directly engages said carriers to lock said carriers against rotation and an unlocking position where it releases said carriers to allow rotation thereof, a rotatably mounted shaft forming a part of said scale mechanism, means forming a part of said scale mechanism for rotating said shaft through an angular distance that is proportional to the weight of the load being weighed, cam means mounted on said shaft, means operatively connected to said carriers and including elements that are cooperatively engageable with said cam means for rotating said carriers to positions for printing the weight of the weighed load, and selectively operated means for sequentially engaging said elements with said cam means to rotate said carriers to positions for printing the weight of the weighed load and for displacing said lock member to its locking position to lock said carriers in the positions to which said carriers have been rotated to print the weight of the weighed load.
 2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 comprising a horizontally extending shaft, said carriers being rotatably mounted on said shaft for rotation about a common horizontal axis, and means supporting said lock member for vertical displacement between its locking and unlocking positions.
 3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein each carrier is formed with an opening and a series of spaced apart teeth along an edge of said opening, said lock member extending through said opening in each carrier in substantially parallel relation with said shaft, and said lock member being engageable with adjacently disposed ones of said teeth on each carrier upon displacement to said locking position to prevent rotation of each carrier about said shaft, said lock member being disengaged from said teeth on each carrier upon displacement to said unlocking position.
 4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said means supporting said lock member includes spring means biasing said lock member to said unlocking position.
 5. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said means supporting said lock member comprises a horizontally extending rod and means suspending said lock member from said rod and providing for selective displacement of said lock member axially of said rod.
 6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein said rod is threaded and wherein said suspending means has at least one part engageable with the threads on said rod to retain said lock member in an axially adjusted position.
 7. In an apparatus for weighing a load and for printing the weight of the weighed load, a scale for weighing the load and providing a mechanical output that is indicative of the weight of the weighed load, a selectively activatable printer conditioned by said output for printing the weight of the load, means for selectively retaining said mechanical output for any selected time independently of the application of said load to said scale, and means for selectively and repeatedly activating said printer to print the weight indicated by said output.
 8. In an apparatus for weighing a load and for printing the weight of the weighed load, a scale for weighing the load and having a plurality of output members that are displaced in accordance with digital values in different orders of a multi-digit number that is indicative of the weight of the weighed load, a selectively activatable printer, means for applying the displacement of said output members to condition said printer for printing the weight indicated by the displacement of said output members upon activation of said printer, displaceable locking means normally positioned to engage and lock said output members against rotation after each printing of the weight is completed, first selectively operable means for sequentially releasing said locking means from said output members to enable said output members to be displaced by the weight of the applied load to their weight-indicating positions, re-positioning said locking means to lock said output members against displacement prior to printing, and activating said printer to print the weight indicated by the displacement of said output members, the improvement comprising second selectively operable means for selectively preventing said first selectively operable means from releasing said lock means from said output members when said first selectively operable means is operated to activate said printer, thereby enabling the weight indicated by the locked positions of said output members to repeatedly be printed by repeated activation of said printer.
 9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein said printer comprises a plurality of rotatably mounted printing carriers, said apparatus further including motion transmitting means connecting said output members to said carrier to effect rotation of said carriers to positions for printing the weight of the weighed load.
 10. The apparatus defined in claim 9 comprising a further printer that is electrically controlled for printing a number, and transducer means operatively connected between said further printer and said output members for operating said further printer. 